VOA慢速英语2019 越南发现消失30年的银背麝鹿

A wildlife conservation group said this week that it has pictures of one of the rarest animals in the world.

本周，一个野生动物保护组织称，他们捕捉到一种世界最稀有动物的照片。

Global Wildlife Conservation, or GWC, said it captured the images of the small, deer-like creature in a forest in southern Vietnam.

全球野生动物保护组织(GWC)称，他们在越南南部的一片森林中捕捉到这种像鹿一样的小动物的照片。

The creature has a silver-colored back and is about the size of a rabbit. It is known as the silver-backed chevrotain or Vietnamese mouse deer. The wildlife group made a point of noting it is not a mouse or a deer.

这种生物背部为银色，体型和兔子差不多。这种动物被称为银背鼷鹿或越南鼠鹿。野生动物组织指出，这不是一只老鼠或鹿。

The rare creatures are said to be frightened easily. They have two small fangs² hanging from their mouths. They are the world's smallest hoofed⁴ animal, GWC said.

据说，这类稀有动物很容易受到惊吓。GWC称，它们的嘴里有两颗小尖牙。它们是世界上最小的蹄类动物。

The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research is a partner of GWC in the project. An Nguyen, a conservation scientist with the institute, spoke⁵ to The Associated Press about the animal.

莱布尼茨动物园和野生动物研究所是GWC项目的合作伙伴。安阮（An Nguyen）是该研究所的一名环境保护科学家，他向美联社谈到了这一动物。

"For so long this species has seemingly only existed as part of our imagination. Discovering that it is, indeed, still out there, is the first step in ensuring we don't lose it again, and we're moving quickly now to figure out how best to protect it," he said.

“一直以来，这一物种似乎只存在于我们的想象中。直到发现它确实仍然存活着，这是确保我们不会让它灭绝的第一步，我们现在正在迅速采取行动，寻找保护它的最佳途径。”

Working in Vietnam, An and his team set up camera traps after receiving reports from local villagers and forest rangers⁶. The cameras took some 1,800 photographs of the species over a period of 5 months.

在越南工作时，安阮和他的团队在接到当地村民和护林员的报告后布置了相机陷阱。这些相机在5个月的时间内拍摄下1800多张照片。

Hoang Minh Duc is the head of Vietnam's Southern Institute of Ecology's Department of Zoology⁷.黄明德(Hoang Minh Duc)是越南南方生态研究所(Southern Institute of Ecology)动物学系的负责人。

 

The GWC quoted Duc as saying that "the rediscovery of the silver-backed chevrotain provides big hope for the conservation of biodiversity, especially threatened species, in Vietnam."

GWC引用黄明德的话说：“银背麝鹿的重新现世，为越南生物多样性的保护，特别是濒危物种的保护，带来了巨大的希望。”

Words in This Story

conservation – n. the protection of animals, plants, and natural resources

fang¹ – n. a big, sharp tooth

hoof³ – n. the curved, hard part of the foot of some animals like a horse

species – n. a group of living organisms who have similar physical qualities

ensure – v. to make (something) sure or safe

biodiversity – n. the different kinds of life in an environment

1 fang   

n.尖牙，犬牙

参考例句：

• Look how the bone sticks out of the flesh like a dog's fang.瞧瞧,这根骨头从肉里露出来，象一只犬牙似的。
• The green fairy's fang thrusting between his lips.绿妖精的尖牙从他的嘴唇里龇出来。

2 fangs   

n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座

参考例句：

• The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hoof   

n.(马，牛等的)蹄

参考例句：

• Suddenly he heard the quick,short click of a horse's hoof behind him.突然间，他听见背后响起一阵急骤的马蹄的得得声。
• I was kicked by a hoof.我被一只蹄子踢到了。

4 hoofed   

adj.有蹄的，蹄形状的，装蹄的v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was hoofed out of the Guards. 他被开除出警卫队。 来自互联网
• He hoofed his way to town. 他步行去了城里。 来自互联网

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

7 zoology   

n.动物学，生态

参考例句：

• I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
• The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。